Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) aims to improve cardiac performance by synchronizing the ventricles. While the term “synchronization” is used, for some patients, a delay between contraction of the right ventricle and the left ventricle may be optimal. Hence, the term synchronization refers more generally to ventricular timing that improves cardiac performance. A general objective measure of lack of synchrony or dysynchrony is QRS width representative of contraction of both ventricles. For example, a QRS width greater than about 130 ms may indicate dysynchrony.
CRT can improve a variety of cardiac performance measures including left ventricular mechanical function, cardiac index, decrease in pulmonary artery pressures, decrease in myocardial oxygen consumption, decrease in dynamic mitral regurgitation, increase in global ejection fraction, decrease in NYHA class, increase in quality of life scores, increase in distance covered during a 6-minute walk test, etc. Effects such as reverse modeling may also be seen, for example, three to six months after initiating CRT. Patients that show such improvements are classified as CRT “responders”. However, for a variety of reasons, not all patients respond to CRT. For example, if a left ventricular stimulation lead cannot locate an electrode in a favorable position, then a patient may not respond to CRT.
Often, the ability to respond and the extent of response to CRT depends on an initial set-up of a CRT device in a patient. As described herein, various exemplary technologies aim to improve a clinician's ability to set-up a CRT device at implant (e.g., an acute state) and to optionally optimize device operation thereafter (e.g., a chronic state). In particular, various exemplary techniques include determining one or more specialized dyssynchrony parameters based on cardiac motion information.